remember me
by lucyheartfilias
Summary: natsu isn't the type to give up on someone. especially when they're the most important person in the world to him. so he's going to fight to get back what he always knew he needed.
1. Chapter 1

**notes: **omg ok HELLO! so this is my first real official fanfic ever? i'm gonna blame kari for inspiring me to write nalu angst because what the heck her nalu angst is really good and you should probably read it :) but basically i also wanted to get back into writing fiction and literally i don't know nalu is my otp so i was like hell yeah let's do this and ya!

so basically this is not really an AU or anything but it's kind of like an alternate story? _reaaallly _tests the realtionship between natsu and lucy. also, i created a new character for this purpose and this plot and his name is tomica and you'll see what's up w/ him later on, of course! but yeah in case you're like "wtf there's no guy named tomica in fairy tail" you would be correct because i created him so lmao

i write way too much but ahHH i hope you enjoy this first chapter!

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Natsu's eyes shot open to a dark sight sprawled out in front of him. Ice, fire, swords, holes - all marks of his teammate's spells which were completely ineffective. His opponent wouldn't budge, no matter what. Natsu's breath was shallow and stunted, after exhausting almost every spell he had in his arsenal. His magic power was definitely depleting, and he was at his wit's end with this mage. Nearby, he could hear Erza and Gray's simultaneous heaving breathing, their bodies covered in bruises and blood, not unlike his own. _Incredible_. _I have never seen a power like this before, _he thought. His eyes shifted quickly as he saw a flash of blonde move slowly in his peripheral vision, and his heart jumped. _Lucy_…

It was really supposed to be a simple job. They were just supposed to help someone out who was a little bit out of the town. None of the team was exactly sure what, but the job paid well, and Lucy really pushed for it. When she pleads with those puppy dog eyes of hers, no one can really deny her. But someone was standing in the way of completion. Tomica.

In actuality, Team Natsu figured, it had been a fluke - Tomica probably summoned them to fight him and eliminate the group for good. Natsu was a bit apprehensive about the job itself, but decided to do it anyway. He knew it would make Lucy happy, but for that reason, he breathed a sigh of relief for leaving Happy back at the guild. He had a premonition that pointed to signs that something would go wrong, and he didn't want to endanger Happy. Though he didn't think it would turn out like this.

Tomica was a notorious mage from an underground dark guild. The guild itself wasn't that well known - Natsu, admittedly, could barely remember its name - but Tomica's mere prowess seemed to be common knowledge. He was rarely seen, some thinking that his presence could be on par with Zeref, though one could never be sure. Tomica was probably jealous of the success Fairy Tail and Team Natsu was having, and it was known that he thrived off of the despair of others. But something was off in their fight, Natsu noted. Tomica's spells were dispelled towards all of the team, but he seemed more inclined to torture Lucy using a different form of magic he'd never seen before - most likely Lost Magic - and it was definitely something that Tomica wasn't using on Natsu or the others. _Why is he ganging up on her? What purpose does she serve to him? What purpose does he have with any of us at all? _He felt his emotions run high, and his fire, which was slowly dimming due to the consistent blows endured, suddenly felt a burst of energy.

"_TOMICA!" _His voice was hoarse, and he felt as though he might explode. "Come on! I'll take you right here and now! You'll have to go through me before you hurt anyone else! This isn't over!"

"My, _my_, Salamander," Tomica cooed, a smirk appearing on his twisted face. "You _sure_ are cocky for someone whose ass just got kicked. Don't you think your friends over there need a lil bit of help? They took such a beating … I would think you would put your friends before _me_, huh? Oh well, guess I was wrong …" His voice trailed off, and he started to move closer towards the dispirited and broken team. Natsu could clearly see Tomica wasn't finished in the least. In fact, he barely had a scratch on him. Hit with Fire Dragon Slayer magic, three of Erza's Requips, multiple ice weapons crafted by Gray, and even a Unison Raid with Taurus and Scorpio … it didn't matter what hit him. It seemed there was nothing that would faze him. _Just how strong is he?_

Natsu's plan has always consisted of four things - attack, attack, attack, repeat - but he soon realized this plan wasn't going to do him any good. What was he supposed to do? At this rate, they would never win. They would never finish their job. They wouldn't even make it back to the guild. At this notion, a chill went through Natsu's spine. Out of all the bastards he's fought; out of all the people standing in his way, no one - _no one - _made him as angry as Tomica did now. But why? Was it just because defeat was so close he could reach out and touch it? Or because he was saving some sort of weird magic for Lucy.

"_Ahh!" _He snapped back to reality as he heard a scream slip from Lucy's mouth, who was crouched nearby, and breathing abnormally heavy. Tomica was walking towards her, his arms now lowering towards his side, as he had just cast a spell. Natsu peered back to see Erza and Gray trying to help each other up, and help repair their wounds. They could see Lucy, writhing from the attack, in front of them, and each had a disgusting look on their face. Natsu's anger swelled even more, and he couldn't control himself.

"TOMICA! THAT IS ENOUGH!" he barked through gritted teeth, as loud as he possibly could. "YOU TOUCH HER ONE MORE TIME AND I'LL KILL YOU." Limping, Natsu inched towards Lucy and Tomica.

A cough, then a faint whisper of a voice escaped Lucy's lips. "N...Natsu…" Gray and Erza peered up when they finally heard her speak, nonetheless speak Natsu's name. Lucy gathered every ounce of strength inside her and tried to stand up. She wobbled, and Natsu wanted to run to her; to help her. But he could barely move. It was enough for him to shift his body weight to try and attack Tomica, and his heart was pounding out of his chest on top of it. Lucy's aura felt extremely dark; having just taken a hit from Tomica's spell most likely pushed her to the edge. He truly admired that about her - she was never one to simply give up. She always would put a fight to the end, just like he and the rest of the team would.

Tomica stopped moving when he saw Lucy rise. Natsu inferred that if the spell had worked correctly, she would be completely incapacitated and unable to move. But somehow, there she was, broken and torn, but alive and able to move, even if just a little bit. Finally, words escaped from her lips, somewhat breathlessly.

"T...Tomica… I don't know what you're doing, who you are, what you want, and anything like that. And I don't care. But… I don't know who gave you the right to hurt my friends like that… you … you're not going to get away with this …" Lucy's hands reached towards the keys on her belt, and Natsu noticed that they were shaking. _She probably has no magic power left, _he thought. _Yet she still is standing up for us_. _I have to do something! _With that, Natsu again moved closer. He barely had a voice, but he would do everything he could to protect her from Tomica.

Tomica's eyes slit and he started cackling. "Wha - what do you think you're doing, Princess?" he snapped. "You think you're gonna call one of your spirits out here? _HA! _Don't you know the spell I cast on you?"

A face Natsu had never seen before appeared before him. Lucy's eyes were welling with tears, but her mouth was contorted in such an angry expression he was almost completely taken aback. Heavy, labored breaths were etching her expression further. "I don't know what you want with me. And like I said, I don't care. But I won't let you touch them. Especially Natsu."

At the mention of his name, Natsu's heart jumped. _I have to get closer… I have to help her!_ The only thing he could think of was Lucy. The only thing he could see was Lucy. Lucy, Lucy, Lucy. There was nothing else. But his legs were giving out, and he realized Tomica's spells cast on Natsu and the others were not just offensive attacks, but also had magic-depleting properties. _This guy … he must have mastered multiple types of magic to be able to do this… Is this even possible? _Natsu felt himself slowly sinking into the ground, his steps gaining less ground, and his mind going blank. He needed to get to Lucy, but there was no way he was able to move.

Tomica's expression went somewhat demonic. "Natsu? _Natsu? _Ahahahaha! What is the Salamander even good for, Princess? Ha! Please. I don't want to associate with anyone like that."

"Don't you know he's so much stronger than me?" Lucy's voice was brittle. "They're… they're all stronger than me… Why are you doing this?"

Tomica shrugged, moving closer towards Lucy and placing his finger on her chin. She instinctively jumped back and swatted his hand away, almost tripping over her feet due to how weak she'd become. Natsu's emotions ran high and he growled.

"I like to have fun, Princess. You're more interesting than them, I can sense it. You put up a fight. Everyone else is _so _boring. But you're different."

"I'm not different," she insisted, tears stinging her eyes. "There's no way. And I don't care."

"But I do."

Lucy was gripping her arm, and she sunk to the dirt. "Just… please don't hurt them anymore. Natsu… Natsu still needs to find Igneel, and go on jobs, and come home to Happy … we all need the guild… we won't bother you anymore, we'll pretend it never happened …" Her voice was stained with regret, remorse, and sadness. Natsu could see tears falling down her face, yet Tomica's gaze was leering at Lucy.

It was too much for Natsu to handle. She didn't do anything wrong. Absolutely nothing. Tomica was just targeting her, making her believe the absolute shit he spewed, and through it all, Lucy wasn't budging. She would never leave them behind. She would never abandon Natsu. She would never abandon her friends.

"DON'T TOUCH HER! GET AWAY FROM HER!" Natsu's voice was cracking, but there was nothing more he could do.

Tomica helped Lucy up, surprisingly gently. Natsu, already sunk in the ground, his magic power completely depleted, felt helpless and anger welling further inside, as did Erza and Gray not too far away.

"Princess, please…" Tomica scoffed. "Trust me, I've heard it all before." Out of nowhere, he threw her back to the ground. Natsu slammed his fist into the earth as he saw the sight unfold before him. _NO, NO, NO, NO! _But he could barely move.

Lucy let out a pained scream as her body hit. Tomica laughed and paced around her. "Something is sticking out to me though," he pondered. "Something you keep on … _saying_." He shot her a very steady glare. Lucy just peered up at him and didn't say anything.

"As you've probably figured out, I've mastered a few different types of magic, Princess. And your little 'team' here has probably never heard of them. But that's the point. There's no way you losers have a right to be more famous than I am. You and your stupid guild. There's a method to my madness, you see. I've learned these on my own. To take down those who've wronged me; those who stand in my way. To make people feel the same pain I've felt from being isolated all those years. So, Princess, I'm thinking I got a bit of a … special treatment for you, eh? You up for it?"

Tomica leaned down to Lucy's level and smiled. She turned away and Natsu knew there were tears streaming down her face. _Why do I have to be so useless now? _Natsu tried to crawl towards her, as slow as he could, so Tomica wouldn't take too much notice, but he still could do nothing. His anger was seething at this notion.

"I can't believe you care this much about others. I mean, _wow_! It's absolutely amazing, don't you think?" Tomica's voice boomed. "You're doing everything I wish I could, Princess!" His voice became gritty and angrier as he shouted. He then leaned in close, and whispered so only Lucy and Natsu, who was still crawling, could hear.

"So, uh … how about I punish you for, oh, I don't know, _forever_?"

Lucy didn't say a word.

"Mm… well, what could I do … you know what sounded off to me? I heard Salamander's name a little too much. And for someone like you, Princess, I think I know exactly how to handle this situation!" Tomica gestured as if he had a moment of clarity. Natsu had no idea what he was planning but he knew it wasn't going to be good, especially if he was involved.

"I mastered a Lost Magic, Princess. I used it on all the people who I didn't like. I made them restart their lives. I took away what was precious to them. Well, I think I like the sound of that right now." He grinned devilishly, and shifted his gaze towards the collapsed Natsu.

"Salamander… Natsu … he's too important to you, I think. _Way_ too much." Tomica whispered quietly to Lucy, who was completely still.

"So I think I'm going to change that. Hope you don't mind, _Princess_."

At that, Lucy started to scream, as did Natsu. Gray and Erza couldn't hear what was going on before then, so it was just a sudden burst of anguish. Tomica started to chuckle.

"NO! YOU … YOU CAN'T! DON'T YOU DARE …" A light went off in Natsu's mind and he had an idea of what was going to happen next. But he didn't want to believe it.

"Wha - what are you going to do?" Lucy demanded, her whole body shaking.

Tomica ignored every comment thrown at him and stepped back. His eyes closed for a moment, and he brought his hands into a certain position in preparation for a spell. Natsu began to frantically move towards her, trying to protect her, but it was too late. Without any hesitation, Tomica began to utter his spell, in a calculated and perfect fashion.

"Memory Curse: Mind Break. You will forget Natsu entirely. He doesn't exist to you anymore. He was never here. Say goodbye!"

And with that, a blast of light released from Tomica's hands to Lucy and she was knocked out, before she could even protest. The only thing Natsu could remember was his endless screaming. He could've died. He would've rather died than Lucy's memory being forcibly taken away from her. There was nothing worse than this. There was absolutely nothing Natsu could think of that was worse. Absolutely nothing.

Tomica, satisfied with the scene laid out before him and his apparent win, turned on his heel and walked away, leaving the beaten and broken Team Natsu to writhe in their pain of defeat behind and unbeknownst to Natsu, taking Lucy's memories of Natsu with him.

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**after notes: **wow ok i hope you enjoyed this i hope i made everyone as in character as possible! feel free to review or anything like that :) next chapter will be up really soon!


	2. Chapter 2

**notes: **ahh woo chapter 2 already! there's not much to say except this was kind of painful to write haha :) enjoy everyone!

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"This is … there's no way … is she?" Erza stoically made her way towards Lucy's listless body. Erza's voice was barely audible. It seemed at least some of their magic power was back. They had no idea how much time had passed since Tomica had left without a word, but Lucy still hadn't awoken.

Natsu's eyes were filled with tears, he could feel it, but he was trying to hold back and be strong. "I … I don't think so," he said breathlessly. "There's no way… Lucy would go out like that. There's no way he was planning to kill us. He… he probably just wanted to say he defeated us. So let the bastard say whatever he wants. We'll get him back one day. For Lucy and the guild."

Gray and Erza nodded, but it was with a heavy rhythm. They wanted to believe what Natsu said was true, but in the current state, they didn't know what to think.

"Well… let's try and get her back to the guild, and ask Makarov what we can do. Maybe even Porlylusica could help us," Gray suggested, breaking the silence.

They nodded, and moved towards Lucy's body. She was covered in bruises, just like the rest of the team was as well. _But,_ Natsu thought_, she might have endured more than us …_

Lucy wasn't as heavy as Natsu had originally thought. Even though Happy would always make jokes when he would have to carry her, he noticed that her body was actually quite fragile. How did she manage to take this beating? Well, there was one thing he knew for sure - she was strong where it counted. In her spirit, her personality, and everything else, despite the fact she might not have much physically. He couldn't help but smile when he thought of how humble she was, and how she wouldn't give up even if she was overpowered. She truly belonged in Fairy Tail.

The remaining trio each supported Lucy's body extremely carefully, as they attempted to make their way back towards the guild as quick as they could. They switched off holding her on their backs. Though their bodies were just as beaten, they had no other choice, nor would they consider any other. When a team member falls, they all fall. They would never abandon each other, no matter what.

About halfway to the guild, still in a somewhat deserted area, but closer to the town square than before, Natsu, who had Lucy on his back, felt something shift. _Wha - what the hell? Is she awake? Alive? _He turned his head to see her eyelids fluttering softly.

"Wait, _Lucy_?" Erza and Gray stopped walking and turned to Natsu, who was preparing to set Lucy down. "Lucy? Hey, Lucy? Can you hear me?" His voice was tinged with desperation. He placed his hands on her shoulder, his heart pounding out of his chest. _Please… please…_

Natsu was supporting Lucy upright, and Erza and Gray both noticed that her face had lost most of its previous pallor. "Lucy?" Erza questioned. "Lucy, can you hear us?"

After what seemed like an eternity, Lucy's eyes flitted open. A rousing sigh of relief was heard and the team breathed. _She's still here, _Natsu thought, and he smiled. _There's no way she would've given up that easily._

Natsu chuckled and his smile grew wider. "Lucy! Lucy, you're back! We were so worried that you'd … but I knew you would never!"

Lucy's eyes were full of wonder and confusion. "Where… where am I, exactly?" she inquired.

A row of glances were shot to one another. _Huh? _

"Lucy, you know who we are, right?" Natsu asked her.

When she got a good look at Natsu, and finally came to her senses, her reflexes pushed her farther and farther away from Natsu. "Wait, who … who are _you_? How do you know me? Erza, Gray, who is this?"

Natsu's smile faded almost instantly. _WHAT? There was no way that this is what Tomica meant … there is no way … _

Erza knelt down and tried to pick Lucy up, but Lucy stayed on the ground, her hands wrapped around her knees in fear of the pink-haired mage in front of her. "Lucy, are you alright? Of course you know who this is," Erza told her matter-of-factly, trying to choke back some emotions that were coming through. "Do you know what happened?"

"I'm not entirely sure, Erza, but can you tell me_ why_ this man was this close to my face?" Lucy squealed, and she brought her index fingers together to indicate just how close Natsu was to her.

"Lucy, please don't play games, we don't have time for this," Gray broke in. "You know who Natsu is, don't you?"

Lucy shook her head and her face was pained with disgust and fear. She lowered her voice a little bit so Natsu could barely hear her. "I can't believe you guys didn't stop him! Why aren't you doing anything? I feel kind of weird right now, but _believe me_, I would've kicked him if I could! I can't believe you guys!"

Before she could say any more, Erza stood up. "We need to get her back to the guild, and _now_." Her demanding voice prompted Gray and Natsu to try and help Lucy out of her position. However, something stopped them from completing the task.

"Woah, woah, _woah_, wait! Who is he? Why are you guys being so cryptic?" Lucy demanded, shooing Natsu's arm off hers. His face fell.

Gray turned to her swiftly. "Lucy, don't worry about it right now, we gotta get you back to the guild, OK?"

"But, uh, why is he coming? Is he from another guild or something?" Lucy's demeanor changed a bit and upon this potential realization, and she turned to the dumbstruck Natsu. "Oh, do you want to be a part of Fairy Tail? Well, if that was the case, why didn't you just say so?" She let out her normal laughter, and it reassured Natsu to hear it, even though it wasn't for the right thing.

Erza shot Gray a glance, and began to continue to walk, with Lucy and Natsu not too far behind.

Natsu couldn't even look at her. He was in awe. _Had he really taken all her memories? There's no way… _It was quite unlike him to be somewhat calm in a situation like this, but there was something holding him back. Normally, Natsu would be freaking out, but he restricted himself in doing so. He'd probably scare her, and if she truly doesn't remember him, then he'd have to try _something_ in order to help jog her memory. _What, though? What could I do? She thinks I'm a stranger. She doesn't know me_.

Lucy was chipper as ever, though, almost as if her bruises were forgotten and everything was normal. "So, what's your name?" she questioned.

His face dropped a bit. It was unlike him, he knew, but the relationship they had before - to be dissolved in an instant wasn't something he was going to take lightly. But he put on a bright smile, flashing his sharp canines, and told her. "I'm Natsu. Natsu Dragneel. You sure you never heard of me?"

The blonde shook her head and sighed. "No, no, I'm sorry, I haven't! But it's really nice to meet you, Natsu! What are you doing here with me, Gray, and Erza?"

His whole body froze, even as they pressed on. He figured he'd just relay the truth to her, whether she believed it or not. There wasn't anything else he could do. Though, while pondering this, flashes of Tomica appeared in his mind, and a fire started to well up when he thought of the vicious mage.

"We were on a job, you see," he said stoically. "We thought we were doing something simple. You picked it, actually. But it turned out to be a trap."

Lucy perked her face up. "A trap? Wait, what? And I picked it? Man, I think something's a little off here …" She rubbed her temples in confusion.

Natsu continued. "Yeah. We were all… defeated. Pretty easily, actually. I couldn't believe it myself. It was Tomica. It was all his fault." Recalling this definitely wasn't easy for him.

"Tomica… hmm… sounds quite familiar. Interesting name, just like yours! But … ow, is that why I'm covered in bruises? I don't … I don't really remember much. I guess it makes sense I was on a job, though. We've been doing lots of those lately, right, Gray and Erza?" Lucy shot them a smile and their faces dropped. Natsu turned away from her. She had completely forgotten Natsu was on all those jobs with her. She had erased Natsu from her mind completely.

He took a deep breath and stopped walking for a second, which halted Lucy's footsteps, and in turn, the others walking in front of them.

"Lucy, you realize I was there too, right?" he begged her.

"I'm sorry?"

"I was with you on all those jobs. I've been with you even before Gray and Erza were here." His voice was initially soft, but it grew louder, and before he knew it, he was booming. "I've been with you since you joined Fairy Tail. Hell, I got you _in _Fairy Tail! You can't tell me you don't remember these things, do you? You can't! There's no way! After everything we've been through together, you expect me to believe you've just gone and forgotten everything?"

He could barely see Lucy's face, and didn't realize he was holding her shoulders firmly in his hands. Tears were welling in his eyes, but he didn't care. This was cruel and unfair. There was no way everything could be gone in an instant.

Lucy was completely stunned. Her deep brown eyes were focused on Natsu's tearing face. At this outburst, Gray was about to move forward, but Erza held him back. Lucy's eyes then softened, and though she was noticeably taken aback, she raised her hands gently to Natsu's shaking ones.

"Natsu?" she whispered. "What do you mean? I…" Her eyes shifted to the ground. "I don't really understand what you mean…"

With a heavy breath, he relayed his words again, each one heavier than before. "Lucy … you and I … we were … we are a team! And I can't lose you! You can't forget about everything that we've been through together! Don't you see, Lucy? You can't remember anything because Tomica took your memories away! The memories about … about me, and us, and our team … how… how can you forget?"

Natsu sighed and stared at the ground. He couldn't look her in the eye. He didn't want to see her face. He wouldn't be able to take it.

She lifted her head in Erza and Gray's direction. "Is he telling the truth?" she asked. "I… knew Natsu?"

They nodded, speechless.

In return, Lucy closed her eyes, in what seemed like she was trying to remember something. But her face became strained and she released herself from Natsu's grip, who didn't put up a fight any longer.

"Natsu, I'm so… I'm so sorry, but I can't remember you. I can't remember anything we did together. But it sounds lovely. I really wish I could remember it, if it's true," she concluded in a wobbly voice. "I'm so sorry…" It was apparent she was on the verge of tears.

At this notion, Natsu bolted up, and started stridently walking towards Gray and Erza, not paying any attention to Lucy's words. "Come on, guys," he huffed, dragging his partners with him. "She needs help. We're gonna fix her. I'm not going to be satisfied until she has her memories back. There has to be a way."

With that, Natsu's pace quickened, and it seemed he had tunnel vision for the guild and only the guild. Deep in his heart, he knew there had to be some way to reverse the spell, some way to make her remember. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if she didn't know who he was. There was absolutely no way he was going to let that happen - that was a promise.

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**after notes: **hope you enjoyed this chapter! thanks for reading :) the next chapter will be up very soon!


	3. Chapter 3

**notes: **because i had some chapters finished i figured i'd update this already! a lot of stuff happens here so i hope you enjoy!

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"Oi, you're back? That was pretty fast! W-wait, why do you guys look so beat up?"

Team Natsu returned to the guild solemnly, though Lucy was her usual self. Happy was waiting around, talking to some of the others, when he caught a glimpse of the guild's famed team returning. A smile crossed his small face when he saw his best friends walk through the door, but it dropped almost immediately when he noticed their condition.

The normally cacophonous guild turned quiet. With heavy faces (all but Lucy, of course), the atmosphere was noted, and Happy was the first to run to their side.

"Natsu? Natsu? What happened? Why aren't you guys smiling? Usually, you know, after jobs, we come in with a bang. But… this time? What's going on?" His large eyes were filled with confusion.

Lucy's grin widened when she saw Happy and the others. "Happy! Ah, it's so nice to see you again! I really wish you would've come with us on the job," she said to him, petting his blue fur. Natsu didn't utter a word.

Happy tried to loosen Lucy's grip on him and seemed to only be concerned with Natsu at this point. "Natsu! Answer me!" he yelled to his friend. "What is going on?" The entire guild was now silent, though Makarov was making his way towards the group.

Gray and Erza each displayed a pained expression on their faces. But, Erza bent down a bit towards Natsu, placed her hand on his shoulder, and looked into his eyes. She quietly whispered to him: "Natsu, if you want to fix this, then we need to tell them. Tell Happy. I don't care about the loss or what happen. Isn't Lucy more important?"

At the mention of her name, Natsu's whole body jumped. He gulped and took a deep breath, finally breaking his silence.

"We… we were attacked," he said thickly. "The mage Tomica. It was a trick. I had a feeling it was too good to be true. But … that's not the worst part." His voice became choked and anguished, but he pressed on. "He used a spell, some type of Lost Magic, on Lucy."

"A spell? Lost Magic?" asked Happy. "What's wrong with her? She seems fine to me." It was plain to see that she _was _acting somewhat normal with everyone else, and the only thing that confused her was as to why the guild had quieted down from its normal, boisterous self.

"Well, she seems fine to you, of course, because the spell didn't affect you," Natsu told him. "Tomica … took her memories of me away from her." When he choked out this line, Natsu's face fell. Lucy just stared at him quizzically again.

"Uh, Natsu, was it? I don't really understand what you're saying! This is my guild, this is Fairy Tail; this is my home! I'm really confused!" Lucy whimpered, letting Happy free from her arms and rising up. "You… you were just inquiring here, weren't you? Why can't I remember you? If you're telling the truth, what is going on?"

The guild was noticeably stunned. It was apparent that Tomica really did screw with her memories, and no one knew exactly how.

Makarov decided to break into the conversation. "Natsu, Gray, Erza, Lucy, are you injured?" He gestured towards their bruises. "It was Tomica, you said?"

"Yes," Gray told him. "Like Natsu said, it was a trap. We're not exactly sure what he wanted to accomplish, but he attacked Lucy at the very last moment before he walked away. That's really all we know about him so far, but …" His voice trailed off and he lost eye contact with Makarov. "He really did take Lucy's memories, though we're not sure why, either. She can't remember Natsu at all."

"Are you serious? What would he want with that?"

Gray shrugged.

Erza broke in. "Is there anything we can do, Master?"

"Could Porlyusica help?" Gray asked, echoing his earlier suggestion.

Makarov pondered for a moment, but Natsu barely gave him a chance to think. "Gramps," he begged, holding back tears, "please help … there's no way that she is supposed to forget me …"

"I'll think of something, kids, I promise. Right now, see if you can reaccustom Lucy to Natsu. That might give us a head start," he told them, then adopted a harsher tone. "This is… absolutely unacceptable. We might be able to report Tomica to the Magic Council for abuse of his magic powers, and to ask if he is found, to capture him. Until then, like I said, try to rack her brain for any remaining memories of Natsu. You never know what might trigger something."

The guild master turned away from the group and nudged the rest of the guild to go back to normal, pretending as if nothing was wrong. He probably didn't want to make Lucy uncomfortable, and Natsu respected him for that. Now, though, there was nothing they could do but wait or take some sort of action. And Natsu was definitely in favor of the latter.

He shook off his confused emotions and grabbed Lucy's arm. "Come on, Lucy. Just come with me. I'm going to try to make you remember me."

"Ehh? _What? _Where - where are you taking me?!" she demanded, as she was pulled out the guild's door with Natsu. "Erza, Gray, _help!_"

Erza and Gray didn't move from their spots. Natsu's heart was racing - he did have his arm around Lucy's after all - and he would try every trick in the book to get her to remember him. This was more riding on what he had to do, rather than any of the other guild members. After all, she remembered _them_ - he really couldn't ask them to do much, unless something crossed his mind.

Finally, the duo arrived underneath a tree not too far from the front lawn of the guild. Natsu picked up on a somewhat awkward air, but, he did have Lucy alone, and decided to take a "talk" route first.

"OK, Lucy, you ready?"

Lucy's face seemed permanently quizzical. "Natsu, uh, why'd you bring me here? What's going on?"

Natsu huffed a bit. "You say you can't remember me, right?"

Her eyes darted a bit, and he took that as a yes before she even opened her mouth. "Well, um, yeah. I… can't really remember you? I think if I knew a pink-haired guy, I'd remember him!" She laughed. _God, when she laughs … it's like nothing was ever different. It's almost painful to think I'll never hear it the same way again._

"I'm going to make you remember me, Lucy. I'm not going to give up. So let's see…" Natsu put on his best thinking face, and he felt Lucy's radiating smile. _I guess she's intrigued? _he wondered.

"What do you think you're gonna do? At this point, you're just a stranger," she told him playfully, crossing her arms. Natsu figured she read the air that she wasn't in any danger of him and that she was just playing along. His anxiety was still heightened, though, and for some reason his heart was racing. He didn't _really _have a plan, but he figured he would probably think of something along the way. It was one aspect of himself that he slightly regretted - his impulsive thinking. He'll work on it eventually, he concluded.

Breaking the silence, Lucy furrowed her brows and spoke in a matter-of-fact voice. "Look, I really think we should get back to the guild, maybe we can do this another time, you know? You're still really beat up…"

"_No! _Wait!" Natsu exclaimed. "Uh… look, I just… well, I just want to let you know that…" Looking into her eyes was extremely difficult for him. And since he wasn't following a script, he had no idea what was even coming out of his mouth. Why should she stay? What was the point? There were so many questions he had, and he truly wished he planned something out.

_Ah! Wait! That's it! _he thought. _I'm going to have to do something unexpected. See if she _really _doesn't remember me. It's the only way, I think. I mean, there's nothing else I can do right? At least not right now..._

He guessed he must've been smiling, his thoughts running wild, which triggered Lucy to prompt him with questions. "Hey, Natsu, are you alright? You seem a bit off. Don't you think we should head back?" Her voice quivered a bit, but she didn't move from her spot.

He finally spoke. "Lucy. You seriously can't remember me at all?"

"No," she sighed.

"Well, if I do this, then… you should be fine, right?"

"Huh?"

Before she could fully ponder what he meant, Natsu inched towards her face and kissed her. She let out a stifled squeal, but didn't totally refuse his lips, either. It was most likely just from the mere shock of being kissed but what appeared to be a stranger claiming he knows you, of course.

When he let go, Natsu was trying to figure out how to rationalize why he did such a thing. But, he managed, Lucy would probably hit him _really hard_ if she did remember him. There'd be no reason for him to do that, right? They were just friends, important to each other, but no in that way, right? But, if a stranger were to do that, how would she react? Would you hit a stranger? What were you supposed to do? Questions flew through his mind, but what was done was done. He had never really felt this way about anyone, in the sense that he cared so much for Lucy's well being (or at least he thought) and him being forgotten meant he lost a huge part of his life. And that was something he didn't want to stand for.

"Well?" he finally asked.

Lucy stood there, silent, her fingers delicately touching her lips. "You… you just kissed me?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Why… why would you do that? I don't… I don't know you!" she insisted. He noticed, however, she wasn't that angry or upset. She was just confused.

Natsu rubbed his head and felt his face growing hot. The only thing he could say was, "You're not going to hit me?"

"No… I'm just… confused, I guess," Lucy told him.

Natsu closed his eyes and sighed. "I guess it's really true, then," he remarked. "You really don't remember me. If you did, my face would probably in the ground by now and you'd call one of your spirits to take me out." He chuckled a bit, but in all honesty, he'd wish that she would've reacted the way he'd hoped. At least then, he'd know that she remembered a little bit of him.

Lucy took a deep breath. "Well, Natsu, I'm willing to hear you out. You really say that I used to know you very well. I'm not one to shoot down any ideas. So, let's see…" She pondered for a moment, and finally said, "I don't know what happened to me, and why I can't remember only you. But, maybe we could start over, you think?"

At the mention of "starting over," Natsu's originally calm demeanor changed. He was completely taken aback. _Starting over? How can we?_

He felt something well in his throat and his heart pounded. Frustration began to brim, and there was no way he wanted to start over, by any means. That was quite possibly the worst thing Lucy could've said, but of course, she wouldn't know that.

"I… I can't accept that, Lucy," he murmured. "I can't."

"Huh, why not?"

"It's just… there's too much… I can't…" His voice trailing off, Natsu couldn't face Lucy any longer. All of his fears confirmed, his world crashing down in an instant - it was too much for him to handle. And there was nothing else that he could do except walk away.

"Where are you going, Natsu? Are you going back to the guild?" Lucy called after him.

But he just kept walking. Soon picking up the pace and running. Running far away from the stranger he once knew. He didn't even want to see her face, or what she looked like now, but he couldn't get her face out of his mind. He closed his eyes, and he saw her. He saw her in everything thing he looked at. But she would never be able to see him anymore. She wouldn't understand his jokes, they wouldn't go on jobs, the wouldn't be together at the guild with everyone in the same way. She wouldn't understand. She couldn't remember any of the adventures they were on - absolutely nothing. And there was nothing he could do about it.

So he kept running, and he didn't look back.

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**after notes: **hope you liked this chapter! (hope you squealed at least once!) next chapter coming very soon!


	4. Chapter 4

**notes: **ahh i greatly apologize for how long it took me to put this chapter up! i started this story before i left for spain and wasn't able to put up chapter 4 before i left ;_; bUT it's here now! it's kind of short, but still important in the story :) there's a few more chapters left i think, so don't worry, they'll be coming soon!

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_Where are you even going? You're so stupid for thinking anything different. Just end this already. _

Natsu found himself running to the guild. He couldn't bear this any longer. He needed to get away, but first, he needed to get Happy.

The doors to the guild flew open and standing at the helm was a tired and panting Natsu.

"HAPPY! WHERE ARE YOU?" he hollered as loud as he could. The guild was quite loud, but it quieted down when he started to scream.

"Natsu! You're back!" Happy cried. He flew over to his best friend excitedly but Natsu was serious and didn't say much.

"Happy, we gotta go. We gotta go now."

"Ehh? W-wait, Natsu, _wait_!" Natsu's back was already turned and he stormed out of the guild. He didn't want to see anyone's face but he knew he couldn't leave Happy back at the guild all by himself.

"Let's go, Happy. We're leaving," he told him through gritted teeth, already halfway down the path. "We're going back to our house. Our team doesn't exist anymore. We're leaving."

"Natsu, what are you talking about? Did you do something? Wait, didn't you leave with Lucy? Where is she?" Happy asked.

"Stop asking so many questions, Happy! Just come on," Natsu retorted. Happy became silent. "We're going home, okay? We're just … we're going home."

Natsu felt tears and anger mixing tumultuously inside of him - even thinking about Lucy was enough to make him go crazy. So, he rationed, he needed to get away from the guild for a while. He didn't know what else to do.

After a tiring run (and flight), the duo finally reached the forest where their house was situated in. Natsu paused for a moment to catch his breath, and he placed his hands on his knees. _God dammit. Why did this have to happen?_

Out of nowhere, a rustling sound from the bushes was heard. _That's weird_, Natsu thought. _I don't live nearby anyone. Seriously, what the hell? _On the defense, Natsu slowly backed towards his house but faced the bushes surrounding him.

His arms softened a bit when he heard a small squeal and heaving panting come out of the bushes. _No way…_

"H-hey, how come you live so far away? There's no one even here. You should probably clean out this area, it's so hard to walk! Let alone run!"

Natsu stood there dumbfounded. _She seriously followed me here? How did she even see me? I swear I ran past so she wouldn't see me, but I guess she was searching since I left her standing there. Crap! Now what? _Natsu's thoughts were erratic and his heart was pounding. For some reason, Lucy decided to chase after Natsu. He figured she was probably intrigued by a boy who was saying that she knew him extremely well before, but she can't remember him. But he must've tuned out the world and didn't notice her running behind him.

Finally he spoke. "L-Lucy, what are you doing here?"

"Well," she explained, "you kind of just ran off and left me there! And then as I was walking back, I saw you running, so I figured I'd follow you. What's going on here?"

Happy looked up at Natsu to see his reaction, and was stunned to see he was surprisingly calm. "I can't believe you. Even though you can't remember me, you haven't actually changed a bit," he chuckled softly.

"Eh? Seriously?"

Seeing Lucy in this state made Natsu happy. It was kind of like old times. But, he realized it probably would never be like that again.

"So… uh, I really should've planned this out better, haha," Lucy smiled. "I kind of just followed you on a whim. I don't really know why. But before I knew it, I was running."

Natsu didn't know what to do either, until it hit him what was inside his house. Lucy was probably the most important person to him, in addition to Happy, and he just thought of way that might jog her memory of him. There was no guarantee if it'd work, but it was definitely worth a try.

"Well, since you're here, I have something to show you, Lucy," he calmly said, guiding her towards his small house. Happy followed behind him.

The door to their house opened and Lucy was greeted by one of the messiest rooms she'd seen in her life. The smell didn't help, either.

"W-whoa, it's uh… it's pretty dirty," she said in a sincere tone.

"We don't usually have guests, you see," Natsu responded. "So Happy and I just kinda do what we want around here. You're our first guest in a while."

Lucy shot them a smile. "Oh, I'm flattered, then!" She was being extremely careful to not trip over the plates and clothes strewn all over the wooden floor.

Natsu led Lucy past the front table and towards the hammock which was held up from posts. "To be honest, I wouldn't have let you in here until I realized I had something that might help you remember me," Natsu told her. "But, I'm hoping this might help."

As Lucy made her way across the floor, Natsu stood proudly with Happy next to what seemed to be a bulletin board with a large amount of papers tacked to it. _This has to work! It's proof that she knew me!_

"Huh? Whoa, Natsu! What's all this?"

Natsu grinned wide. "This is a collection of souvenirs from all the jobs we've done together. Look," - he pointed to a paper that was clearly a job request - "this was the first quest we went on together. A-and see?" He ran over to the mannequin containing a fitted maid outfit. "You wore this on that job. That was the first time you and I and Happy worked together. That was our first successful job!" Lucy was silent throughout the entire showcase of Natsu's memories of his journeys.

"You can't tell me that you never knew me. Look! This is proof! There's proof here! We were a team, Lucy! A team!" Natsu's voice started to shake and his heart felt like it was going to burst.

Lucy's eyes softened a bit before she calmly spoke. "Natsu… you've been on so many adventures. It's really amazing that you've saved all this stuff. I know how much this must mean to you." Her voice trailed off when she saw Natsu's face fall.

" I want you to know that I'm trying my hardest to remember, but I can't. It's… hurting me, too, to know what once might've been. But I just… No matter what, I can't remember anything about you. I'm so sorry, Natsu." Tears started to fall from Lucy's face and her voice became choked.

"Lucy…"

With that, Lucy ran out of Natsu's house, and Natsu was left standing in all his dejected glory. Facing a slammed open door, his knees sunk to the floor and he felt as though his heart might burst.

"She… she really… no matter what I do, no matter what I say… she can't remember me at all…" Natsu's fist slammed into the wood, yet he felt no pain. The fire was dampened by tears that were falling without a care from his eyes. "How do I live without her? Without our team?" He searched for an answer in Happy's eyes, but found none.

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**after notes: **hope you enjoyed this chapter! stay tuned for the next one :)


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